The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) as vowed to seize any ship that fishes in its waters illegally.
Suleiman Mohamed Mohamud, Somalia’s Attorney General, made this vow on Tuesday, October 19.
According to the Attorney General, “Illegal fishing along Somalia’s waters has become a national disaster.”
He promised that the government would institute new measures designed to combat all forms of illegal fishing in its waters.
His words come in the wake of the decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule in favor of Somalia in the maritime dispute with Kenya.
Since then, Kenyan fishermen have vowed to continue fishing in the disputed area.
Apart from that, Somalia has experienced years of illegal fishing by foreign vessels.
The fact that the country had no functional system of governance in place allowed foreign vessels to fish unhindered.
Somalia has some of the world’s richest fishing grounds, according to a report that Global Initiative published in July 2021.